Dark Angel
by Punk With The Hat
Summary: Set after Endgame. When Sari's dreams reveal a ghost, she hopes to once again talk with her departed ninja friend. But this spirit clearly isn't Prowl. In fact, he's much, much worse... Mostly crack pairing, but some Sari/BB. R&R please. And no flames!
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Hi! Here's another story I've been writing. It's not really my best, but I thought it was good enough to publish.**

**Sari: So this one is about me?**

**Me: Yep. And a few others too, of course. Bumblebee, for one.**

**Sari: That's cool.**

**Me: Just do the Disclaimer already.**

**Sari: Spovagirl909 does not own Transformers Animated. Otherwise Sentinel Prime would've been the first one to die on the show.**

**Me: Ya got _that_ right.**

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Chapter 1

Nightmarish Encounters

"Sari!"

Upon hearing the sound of Bumblebee's voice, Sari was jerked away from her thoughts. "Y-yeah?" she replied to the yellow Autobot.

"It's getting really late. We should probably turn in for the night." When the cyborg girl didn't reply, Bumblebee gently tapped her shoulder. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." Sari stared out the window of the Elite Guard room. She was on Cybertron, home of the Transformer race. Her own friends seemed large enough back in Detroit, but now she was staying among an entire planet of giant robots. "It's just… everything feels so _different_."

Bumblebee smiled. "Well, it should. After all, you're stuck on a planet full of huge robots without any chocolate. Really sucks, huh?"

_He's really happy, _Sari realized. _After all that time on Earth he really didn't have a chance to come home, after all. _And when he was enjoying himself, she couldn't help but smile, too. But she still couldn't help feeling a bit depressed.

It apparently showed, because the next thing the yellow robot said was, "You really miss Prowl, don't you?"

"Yeah. A whole lot."

Prowl had been one of the Autobots left on Earth. He was the more serious one of the group, and a loner for the most part. But he was a loyal companion, and one of the best friends Sari could've ever wished for. He had sacrificed his own spark to save Detroit from a massive bomb, and just that morning they had sent his lifeless shell to the scrapheap.

"I can't help but think it was partly my fault," Sari continued. "I mean, if I hadn't upgraded myself with my key, I could've been able to bring him back. He might still be here if it weren't for me." And for the third time since they had left Earth, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

With that, Bumblebee picked Sari up and held her so that his bright blue optics met hers. He stared at her with an expression both stern and caring. Sari had seen it many times when she was still a young kid, when she still had no idea she was even robotic in the first place.

"Don't you worry about a thing," he said to her gently, "We all miss him. And remember, you're not alone. You won't be, as long as I'm here."

Sari nodded, wiping her tear-streaked face. No, she never would be alone, not with the friend she had.

"Now let's get some shut-eye. I wanna show you around tomorrow." Bumblebee transformed into vehicle mode. Despite being back on his home planet, he had decided to keep the car design he had scanned on Earth. "And no offense, but you're kinda too small for the stasis pods."

The girl laughed and climbed into the backseat of the car. No matter what happened, Bumblebee would always be Bumblebee. She lay down and drifted off, feeling more at home than she had ever felt for a long, long time.

Her entire view was completely pitch-black. No matter where she turned, all Sari could see was the darkness. If there was anything to see at all, she couldn't find it. And that's when she knew she was dreaming. Sari was dreaming, trapped in darkness.

But somehow, she was unafraid. In fact, she felt more at ease than she had ever been her entire life. Which meant there had to be a reason why she was there. Sari strained her eyes, trying to find out what exactly was going on. Then her jetpack materialized out of nowhere.

_Good_, she thought, _I don't have to keep floating off._

Strapping herself on, she zipped through the nothingness of her subconscious. For what seemed like hours, the result was the same: a dull, empty void. Sari decided that enough was enough for one night, but then something really caught her eye.

It was what seemed to be a humanoid figure, too far off into the distance to distinguish any details. Despite this, Sari could tell it had its back to her. And it was a glowing blue, yet kind of transparent, almost like… almost like a…

… _ghost_.

Sari's heart raced. It couldn't be!

_Prowl?!_

She rocketed toward the figure as fast as her jetpack could take her. All other thoughts vanished from her mind, leaving space for only one: Get to him. Fast.

"Prowl!" she called out. "_Prowl!"_

But as she drew closer, her hope faded. This wasn't her beloved ninja friend. He hadn't come to visit her after all. Whoever this was, he was too big. His fingers were sharp and claw-like, not at all like the careful hands that would help her up whenever she fell. He was somewhat more muscular than Prowl, who depended more on his speed and ninja training in a battle.

And Prowl didn't have wings.

Sari then remembered another thing she had learned upon arriving on Cybertron. The only Autobots who could fly were Omega Supreme, Jetfire, and his twin brother Jetstorm. Not even _they _had wings. And recalling her memory from after the battle in Detroit, Prowl wasn't the only one who had died that day. Her disappointment was quickly replaced by a newfound, circuit-chilling fear.

_That's not Prowl_, she realized, _that's Starscream._

Starscream was Megatron's second-in-command for the Decepticons. He was so treacherous that he even tried to overpower Megatron just so he could seize control for himself. In Sari's first encounter with him, he had nearly killed Bumblebee. For a time, Starscream had gotten an Allspark fragment lodged into his forehead, which made him practically immortal. So when his own spark was extinguished, the Allspark kept him alive. But in the final battle, the fragment was yanked out of his head, causing him to finally die. And now he was here, in her dream.

Sari was right behind him now. He still didn't take notice of her presence. Was it that he somehow wasn't able to sense her? Mustering up every ounce of courage in her, she flew around so that she faced the front of him.

Starscream still didn't face her. He kept glancing around the same way Sari did; looking everywhere, but finding nothing.

"Now this is just perfect," she heard him muttering to himself, "First I lose my fragment in the most humiliating manner, and now I'm lost in the middle of nowhere. And I didn't even get to destroy Megatron! This couldn't possibly get any worse."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," Sari told him before she could stop herself. "It can always get worse, y'know."

_That _caught his attention. He turned toward Sari and his scarlet optics widened to see she was merely a cyborg.

"What are you doing here?" Starscream demanded. "And more importantly, who are you?"

"My name is Sari," the robot girl replied, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "Sari Sumdac. And the reason I'm here is because this is my dream. You somehow wound up in my mind."

The Decepticon face-palmed. "And things _just _got worse."

Despite her fear, Sari found herself grinning. "Told you."

"Silence!" screeched Starscream, and pointed his laser cannon at her.

As a reflex, Sari activated her helmet to shield her face and fired and orb of azure-colored energy at the tip of the cannon. It hit directly, and the front of the weapon crumpled up upon impact, useless.

The larger robot examined his damaged firearm. "Impressive," he finally said after an eerie silence. "You're rather powerful for your age, Sari Sumdac."

"Thanks," said Sari cautiously. "Now get out."

At that Starscream chuckled. It sounded even more sinister than when he was yelling. Sari readied another projectile orb.

"Oh, but I cannot," said Starscream. "As I have demonstrated, I have absolutely no idea how to escape this place. I suppose I'm going to be… _stuck in your head _for quite a while. I couldn't get out of here even if I wanted to."

His words sent another shiver down Sari's spine. _He said_ if, she noted. _Does that mean… he actually_ wants _to stay here?_

She meant to ask him more, but just then a mist started to form around her and Starscream.

"It seems you are returning to the waking world, child," the Decepticon said. "But fear not. I'm certain we shall meet again." And with a last evil grin, his red optics glowing, he was consumed in the fog.

Sari's eyes blinked open. She was lying down in the backseat of Bumblebee's vehicle mode. The gentle revving of the motor told her that he was still sleeping. She decided to let him rest. Staying curled up in the back, she reflected on her dream.

Was it really true? Was that the real, honest-to-goodness ghost of Starscream, or was the dream just that, a dream? Sari tried to convince herself of the latter, but she simply couldn't believe that it was merely a nightmare. She had only met Starscream once when he was living; she couldn't possibly be able to recreate a figure _that _vivid and realistic, not even in her dreams. And the way he had scared her stiff; the cold, gut-wrenching feeling, the terror gripping her every nerve, she could never frighten herself as badly as last night had.

_I could be wrong_, Sari thought, _it could've still been nothing but a bad dream._

But every instinct she had cried out to her, _You're not wrong! That was the real deal!_

Pretty soon she couldn't deny it: The Decepticon ghost was real. Sari had found him in her dream. It was really Starscream, not just her imagination.

Then Sari remembered his parting words: "I'm certain we shall meet again."

Starscream was real, all right. And he was trapped in her mind.

**---------------------------**

**Me: Well, that's the first chapter. Hope you liked it!**

**Sari: Sooooo... I've got the ghost of an evil Decepticon stuck in my mind?**

**Me: Pretty much, yeah.**

**Sari: Um, ok...**

**Starscream: This is an outrage! I, the great Starscream, can't be trapped in the mind of a mere teenage cyborg!**

**Me: Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that. And to all the readers, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Hi! I'm so glad a lot of people liked the first chapter. The second one goes a little slow, since it kinda just starts out with Bumblebee showing Sari around. And Sari's just finding out what the link to Starscream can let her do.**

**Sari: It's not much...**

**Me: Don't worry. It's just the beginning of the story anyway.**

**Sari: Spovagirl909 still doesn't own Transformers Animated.**

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Chapter 2

Sight-Sharing

The rest of the day was busy. Bumblebee gave Sari a "grand tour" of Cybertron, driving her around and pointing out landmarks and icons across the way. And given the size of the city alone, there was certainly an abundance of possible activities.

Bumblebee took her everywhere: music stops (main hang-out spot for teen-bots), hoverboarding (you kinda saw that coming, right?), as long as there was something fun to do, he took her there. And it _was _fun. Sari had never been this entertained back home. Cybertron was actually a lot like Earth, except there really weren't any organic substances and instead of driving cars, the residents turned into them. Sure, they turned into boats and stuff too, but mostly cars and trucks.

She was enjoying herself, she truly was. But somehow she still couldn't shake the memory of Starscream. If she did see him again, what would happen to her?

_I'm being stupid_, she told herself over and over, _a ghost can't hurt me. And besides, if he _does _try to kill me, what would happen to him?_

"Hey, Sari!"

"Yeah?"

"What do you wanna do now? I'm kinda out of ideas."

"No wonder," replied Sari, "you drove me around the entire city."

"So should we head back?"

"I dunno."

Bumblebee seemed to mull it over, and after a while he said, "No, wait. There's one more thing you've just gotta see for yourself."

He made a turn onto another exit, and pretty soon Sari noticed he was heading for what looked like another music stop.

"What-?" she began to ask.

"You'll see."

Bumblebee came to a stop a few feet in front of the entrance, where a few more teen-bots were crowded around. A few of them were passing around what looked like the sparklers Sari's father used to give her on the Fourth of July, except these ones were all yellow. Sari stepped out of the car and Bumblebee transformed into robot mode, and she could tell from the crackles and buzzing that these lights were made with electricity. Sari felt kind of glad her helmet was on; she wouldn't want anyone to see her hair stand on end. When a sparkler was given to Bumblebee, he turned to his friend. "Now here comes the fun part," he said.

The minute the last of the sparklers were handed out, they all seemed to simultaneously fly into the air. Bursts of electricity filled the sky with light, looking almost like a storm. And then the individual lights joined to create one. That one light then began putting on an assortment of dazzling effects: swirls, zigzags, stars, even the Autobot insignia. It was almost like a one-light fireworks display, only without the deafening booms, which Sari thought were always unnecessary.

"Neat, huh?" Bumblebee whispered to her.

"It's amazing!" she breathed.

"They do this around the middle of every summer here."

Sari's eyes widened. "It's only _summer _right now?" When they had departed from Earth, it was a few months after Christmas.

Bumblebee nodded. Sari turned her attention back to the sky, reminded of Independence Day in Detroit; the colorful rays of light that lit the deep opaque night blanket ablaze, the glory of freedom and enjoyment… and something else.

Sari's mind flashed with different images. Now there were other robots surrounding her, a completely different crowd than the teen-bots that stood beside her at that moment. Sari could feel the tension of the memory as though she was reliving it. Indistinct, intermingled yells and commands that mixed with the sound of combat could be heard in every direction. Explosives whizzed into the air all around her, flashing in the same manner as the electric display before her, and yet they couldn't be any more different. These were rockets, and they made deafening roars as they took off. They were being aimed at what Sari thought was nothing but odd rock formations.

But as another rocket exploded, Sari caught a glimpse of a face. Whatever memory this was, she and a group of others were in the middle of a battlefield. She tore herself from the unfamiliar scene, but not before another flash presented her with a clear view of her teammates' faction symbol.

The last of the sparks were already vanishing from the sky when her mind returned to the present location. Sari's mind spun, attempting to recollect what she had just seen.

_What_ was _that? It… felt like some sort of memory, but nothing like that had_ ever _happened to me my entire life!_

Trying to act as if she had been focused on the show the entire time, Sari turned back to Bumblebee.

"_Now _we can head back."

Sari and Bumblebee made their way back to the Elite Guard base without any problems. Upon arriving in the dorm-style room, they found the Jet Twins and Hot Shot playing one of the video games Bumblebee had brought with him from Earth. After a closer look Sari realized it was one of the Smash Brothers games (Sari couldn't tell whether it was Brawl Revolution or Combat Rebellion).

"C'mon," Hot Shot was saying, "Don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die-"

"Smash Ball!" shouted Jetstorm, and his character activated a devastating attack. Jetfire managed to dodge out of the way just in time, but Hot Shot's player was caught in the blast and shot off the screen. A message flashed briefly on the screen before disappearing:

**Star Fox ELIMINATED**

"GOD _DAMMIT!" _yelled Hot Shot, throwing his controller on the ground.

"Rude language," said Jetfire, not bothering to take his optics off the screen as he continued to battle his brother.

Bumblebee laughed. "Hot Shot lost _again? _And just _how_ many times have you played this game since I let you guys borrow it?"

"Two-thousand, eight-hundred sixty-seven," answered the three other `bots simultaneously. "We've been of keeping track," added Jetstorm, who a few minutes later jumped up triumphantly saying, "Ha! In your faceplate, brother!" to Jetfire's disappointed groan.

"Screw you guys," said Hot Shot, "I want jaAm."

"But you _always _want jaAm, dude," said Bumblebee.

"Does it look like I care?" And with that, he exited the room.

"What's with him?" asked Sari. She had never seen much of Hot Shot, but when she did he was usually a little nicer.

"He's just sore about not being able to win the games-" began Jetstorm.

"-When he can beat the crud out of the Decepticons." Jetfire finished his brother's sentence. They did that most of the time, and Sari thought it was kinda creepy.

And of course, knowing Bumblebee, the next thing the yellow Autobot said was, "Well, now that he's gone, do you two still need another player?"

"Go ahead," was the Twins' answer.

Bumblebee picked up the controller from the floor, chose a character, and started brawling. He was certainly better than Hot Shot. _Way_ better than Hot Shot.

_Boys_, thought Sari. Then she was struck by the memory of her vision. She needed some time to think about what she saw. "Knock yourself out, Bumblebee," she said aloud. "I'm going to sleep."

"Okay, okay," replied Bumblebee. He really wasn't paying attention to her; he was too busy slagging the twins.

Sari found her way to the stasis chamber. Her friend was right, the massive pods _were _too large for her. It didn't matter right now; she figured the extra space would help clear her mind. By now images of the vision flew around in her head so fast they almost blurred. But Sari could still see enough of everything: the explosions, the battle cries, and most of all the symbol that had marked every robot fighting on her side. She knew what faction they were, and it wasn't the Autobots.

The Autobot insignia wasn't purple.

There was only one explanation. Sari closed her eyes and was asleep in no time at all.

She once again found herself in the empty darkness. Her jetpack already on her back, she flew around the surreal environment, checking for anything else besides her in this dream. Sari found nothing after thoroughly searching.

_Thank God. I'm alone._

But it wasn't a second after she completed the thought that Sari heard the sinister voice behind her.

"Sari Sumdac," said Starscream, "I knew we would meet again."

No hostile actions this time. He seemed thoughtful, like he was planning something. But what?

Sari was frightened, but she needed answers. Taking in a deep breath to help steady herself, she replied, "That vision I had at the stop. It was one of your memories, wasn't it?"

The Decepticon ghost grinned. "Clever, clever little cyborg, aren't we? Yes, that was my memory. The brief light display you were enjoying brought back some old experiences to the processor."

Sari didn't expect that. "You… you were watching it, too?"

"Of course. We share a body now, after all."

"We don't _share _a body," Sari corrected him. "you're just trapped in here, remember?"

"Oh, _of course_. Please forgive me." Starscream bowed deeply. He was still smirking though, and his words dripped heavily with sarcasm.

Sari's patience was wearing thin. "Okay, so you could see the light show. That still doesn't explain how _I_ could see _your _memory."

Starscream seemed to sit down on an invisible object. "Well, this works both ways," he began, "You can view my thoughts at any time, and I can view yours, along with whatever you experience at the present time."

_So I can see what he's thinking? _Sari attempted this, but all she discovered were mixed emotions, all too jumbled to distinguish.

"Don't worry," said the Decepticon. "You'll be able to see things clearer soon enough." His scarlet eyes seemed to delve into Sari, which was probably what he was doing anyway.

"But to me, you're an open book. The thoughts in your head just present themselves to me at one point or another. You seem to be rather… _eager _to share."

Sari's eyes widened. What had he already seen?

"That Autobot boy, for example. Bumblebee, right? You two seem rather close considering what little time you spent with him. A bit more than one stellar cycle, I take it."

The girl remained silent.

"Very, _very _close. Which leads me to wonder- why did you trash that little colored paper heart object? It seemed every other organic was giving them out to each other that day- what was it called? I know it began with a V-"

"Okay, I get it!" Sari didn't even want to think about that _herself_, it was way more embarrassing to have someone else retell it.

Starscream was snickering. "This is getting rather interesting."

Sari conjured up an energy sphere and fired. "You shut up!"

It barely missed his head. Standing up, Starscream made no attempts to return fire, but just stood in front of Sari, smirking.

_He's just trying to piss me off. If I fire again, what'll he do?_

She never got the chance to find out, because the fog was returning. As Sari slowly slipped away from her dream, she scowled at the ghost. "This isn't over," she told him, trying to sound as menacing as possible. It ended up sounding more irritated, which was what she was really feeling.

As the winged figure retreated, his voice rang in Sari's ears: "Of course it isn't, Sari. This is far from over."

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**Me: And that's it for the second chapter! There wasn't really much going on, I only wanted this chapter to show how exactly Sari and Starscream's minds are linked. And yes, I made up Brawl Revolution and Combat Rebellion. I kinda figured that since this was the future, the Smash Bros. would have more video games by now. Oh, and just if you didn't get the jaAm thing, the Hot Shot from the Unicron Trilogy was in this one comic where he was addicted to it.**

**Starscream: You really suck at making up video game titles.**

**Me: Shut up.**

**Starscream and Sari: Review, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: I'm glad so many people are liking the story so far. This chapter is (hopefully) where things get even more interesting. And I still don't own TFA.**

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Chapter 3

Through Another's Optics

Sari couldn't focus anymore. She had no idea what Starscream was doing, and that made her extremely uneasy. Though not to Prowl's extent, she herself was a loner at spark; knowing _anyone_ was looking into her privacy at free will would derail her from normal behavior. But this wasn't just another robot, it was a _Decepticon_ for God's sake! An evil, vengeful, hateful Decepticon!

She was walking aimlessly through the Elite Guard building, not bothering to check for anything except for things she would collide with by accident. Sari already stepped into five no-trespass zones due to her short attention span; Sentinel was gonna be ticked.

Finally deciding to stop and take a breather, Sari found she had walked into the middle of Preceptor's laboratory. A large computer took up an entire wall, and there were test tubes filled with something on every table. It was like a mad scientist lab. Well, Preceptor was creepy like that anyway, so Sari wasn't as surprised as she should've been.

It didn't take much time for Sari to realize she was alone in the room. The curious, mischievous eight-year-old personality began to resurface in her. Almost automatically, she backed up from one of the giant tables, got a good running start, and jumped. Activating the rocket boosters in her boots, she managed to reach the top and pull herself up to the table's surface on her own.

There were about five beakers, and each one was filled with a different-colored liquid than another. Sari's eyes lingered on the lime green one. It glowed mysteriously, and Sari found herself being lured to it like a fly to one of those insect traps. She was so close to it now, reaching out, putting her hand up to touch the glass that contained it…

_Don't lay a servo on that!_

"Wha-" the sharp voice broke Sari's trance-like state, and she immediately pulled her hand back.

_That's a chemical mix loaded with unstable energon! Any close contact with organic matter will cause a deadly explosion!_

Sari dared to turn back to the beaker. There was only a fraction of organic substance left in her robotic body, but it seemed to be enough; the spot she had come so close to putting her hand on bubbled up violently. Glancing around to see who had saved her from that close call, Sari was puzzled to realize she was still the only one in the entire lab.

_Who __was that? _She wondered.

_Who do you think, genius? _Replied the same voice. It was oddly familiar…

_Starscream?!_

_Duh._

Great. Now he could talk to her when she _wasn't _sleeping, too. Would he ever leave her alone?

_Don't count on it_, answered Starscream in the same telepathic manner. _And is that any way to think of someone who just saved your life? I swear, even us Decepticons have more manners than teen-bots these days._

_Wait,_ began Sari,_ I thought we could only see into each other's heads?_

_Yes, but like I had clearly mentioned to you last night, I can also see exactly what you're up to at every second of the orbital cycle. And I can even communicate to you without the need for verbal actions, which seems to have come in handy for you._

The girl sat down at the edge of the table so that her feet dangled over the edge. _You shouldn't be talking right now! I wouldn't be acting so scatterbrained if it weren't for you!_

_And once again the blame is put on me. _Sari could just picture him shaking his head disapprovingly. _Tsk, tsk, tsk.__Sari, you know as well as I that I can't get out of here._

_So, what have you been doing to pass the time?_

_Besides rescuing you from certain doom? Well, I've taken a liking to viewing your old memories. Shame you don't like to think about them anymore._ She could feel him shifting through her thoughts like a pile of index cards. _Let's see… here's your little birthday party, the prank you pulled on the authorities, the time Bulkhead accidentally saw you in the shower-_

_Ack! Don't look at _that_ one!_

_Oh please, I'm already dead. And after past experience with Blackarachnia, I'm not too keen on looking at techno-organics anyway._

Another memory that wasn't her own flashed before Sari. But she didn't really need to see it at all to know what happened.

_I'm guessing she stung you with __cyber venom afterwards, huh? _She asked Starscream.

_A double dose. Good times._

Sari laughed out loud, some of her annoyance melting away. Girls could be _very _aggressive when it came to protecting their image. _You're funny, Starscream. Egotistical and whiny, but funny._

_Yeah, I used to get that a lot._

_From Megatron, I'm sure._

_Right before he gave me a wedgie and shoved me into a garbage can._

Hours passed, and Sari was now staring through the glass window that separated her, Ironhide, the Twins, and a few others from the simulator on the other side. Bumblebee was trying his luck in what he liked to call "The biggest video game ever." Trying and kinda not doing so well.

_What's wrong with him? _Sari's eyes remained glued to the simulation screen._ I know he can fight better than this._

Starscream answered that question for her. _He hasn't been training frequently enough. The fights that took place on your planet were nowhere near as complex as the ones here on Cybertron. _Sari could sense him observing Bumblebee's battle. _Plus, it never hurts to look behind you every now and then._

At that Bumblebee took a fierce hit to the back that knocked him out of the virtual program, accenting Starscream's words rather nicely.

_Told you._

As the teen-bot exited his side of the simulation chamber and entered Sari's, a sheepish grin spread across his face. Sari could tell he was a little embarrassed that he couldn't stay in for more than 15 minutes.

"I… guess this means I'm headed back to boot camp," said Bumblebee, staring at the floor.

"Yeah," replied Ironhide, "but don't worry `bout it. I heard this time Rodimus took over as drill sergeant. He's a good guy; used to serve under `im, but the cosmic rust kinda affected performance out in the field."

_Right, _said Starscream, _These simulations are way too easy. I could beat them, no problem!_

_True as that may be, it's not like you can just strap yourself into the simulator and prove it_, Sari replied.

_No… _he paused for a moment, thoughtful. Sari's uneasiness returned. _But_ you _can_.

Sari's vision shifted; everything now looked like she was seeing things with a pair of red glasses on. Then words escaped her mouth. Not her words. When they came out, it was in her exact voice, and yet it wasn't her speaking at all.

"Can I have a go at it?"

Everyone turned to her in surprise. Sari had just seen how easily Bumblebee was defeated in the simulator, surely she wasn't serious about trying it for herself?

"A-are yeh sure, Sari?" asked Ironhide. "It's a pretty complicated system."

"I'm sure I can handle it," replied the alien voice through Sari.

"Okay, then." Exchanging bewildered glances with the Twins and Bumblebee, Ironhide reactivated the program. Strapping herself onto the board, Sari was just as incredulous as the others.

_What the hell am I doing?!_

_It's not what_ you're _doing_, said Starscream, _it's what I'm_ making _you do._

The simulation was beginning. Sari's processor loaded onto the combat area, and she stood motionless where her virtual self had been placed. Or rather, _Starscream_ did. Sari no longer held dominance over her own body. _She_ had no choice but to view her surroundings through crimson tint, without any control over which way her own head turned.

In no time at all, the hovering droids appeared over the horizon, cannons ready to fire any moment. They were traveling fast, and in less than a minute they were right in front of Sari (or Starscream, whichever you wanted to refer to them as at the time).

"Now to show these Autobots what a _real _fight looks like," murmured Starscream through Sari's voice. He activated Sari's arm-blades and charged at the floating drones head-on.

To the Cybertronians, the drones were about the size of a `bots' head. But compared to Sari's small figure, they were the size of one-man escape pods.

_What's gonna happen to me if you die here?_ Sari asked, a hint of panic in her telepathic words.

_Just trust me_, replied the Decepticon calmly, slicing through the front of a droid with ease.

_Like I have a choice._

Starscream took out another five robots without difficulty. Thanks to him, _all_ of it went without difficulty. He performed insane maneuvers, punches, kicks, counters, and barrel rolls that Sari never would've dared to attempt for herself. He was even a master at jet judo.

About half an hour later, every single drone lay crumpled and destroyed on the ground, and Sari/Starscream still didn't even have a scratch. The virtual experience ended, and Sari took off the simulation helmet to discover her vision had returned to normal; she could see in different colors again, instead of just shades of red. Sari was left back in control. But for how long?

She walked back into the other half of the simulator room to find the others staring at her, wide-eyed. Who could blame them?

Starscream, however, seemed to not mind. Without realizing it at first, Sari felt an aura of pride pulsing through him inside her.

Bumblebee stepped forward a bit. "How-how did you _do_ that?" he asked.

Sari looked up at him helplessly. "I… don't know," she replied humbly.

This only added to their surprise.

"Sorry you guys, but I really have to go." With that, Sari turned and ran out of the room, leaving everyone else to try and make sense of what just happened.

When she found a place deserted enough, Sari sat down, her back against the wall.

_What the hell was_ that _supposed to be?!_ She asked Starscream angrily.

_Uh, me helping you upstage the boys?_

_This isn't funny! What if something happened to us in there?_

_We would've been pretty screwed, _replied Starscream nonchalantly,_ But nothing happened, so don't act so upset._

_How can I not be upset? YOU TOOK OVER MY WHOLE FREAKING BODY!_

_Okay, I guess you can be upset about that. But I really needed to stretch, and I didn't want to risk damaging your processor by shooting it. You're welcome._

_So you knew you could do this too, then? _Sari wasn't really surprised by these things anymore.

_It was just a theory of mine. I was a bit startled myself when it actually worked._

_We can hear each others thoughts, see each others memories, and now I can see stuff the way you see it. What the hell is this, Eragon__?_

…_What?_

_Never mind._

**-----------------------------------**

**Me: And that's the end of this chapter. I thought it was kinda short, but hey.**

**Sari: I'm kinda scared of what you'll do to me next...**

**Starscream: Review please! Or you shall all face my wra- er, I mean, if you review, you get a cookie!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: Hi! Sorry it took so long to upload. Well, here's chapter 4, so enjoy!**

**--------------------------**

Chapter 4

Memories And A Whole Lot Of Awkwardness

Sari went to bed early that night. There was no way to see Starscream off, so she figured she might as well get her dreaming over with already. As soon as she slipped from consciousness, the winged Seeker stood before her. His characteristic almost-a-grin-but-mostly-a-smirk was on his face again.

"Tired already?" he asked.

"Not really much to do anyway."

"Oh _really?"_

He was being an ass again. Agitation flared from Sari, all goodhearted nature from that short-lived moment in the lab drained. "I'm not here to see _you_, if that's what you're thinking."

"Of course you're not."

"All I wanna do is wait to wake up again. That's basically the only thing I can do now."

Starscream sneered. "So you _are_ here to see me then."

"Why don't you go through my memories or something?" retorted Sari. "Isn't that the only thing you're useful for?"

"I would, but I find it amusing how easily I can irritate you."

_Well, _I_ don't. _But Sari knew it would be useless to say the words out loud. He wasn't even intimidating anymore, just really annoying. Besides, he could probably hear that anyway.

"You think _I'm_ being annoying?" replied Starscream. "Try spending two-thousand stellar cycles on a ship with Blitzwing. _That_ is _hell_."

Okay, She could kind of understand that. Sari wasn't even able to stand an _hour_ outside the triple-changer's prison cell.

"Besides," he continued. "I can help you in some ways."

The cyborg's eyes narrowed. "Like how?"

"Wasn't earlier today example enough? I practically saved your life in that laboratory. And of course, nobody will know who it really was in the simulator."

"True…" she paused. "But how do I know you won't just turn traitor on me? Backstabbing seemed to be your specialty during your life, after all."

"Simple." he leaned in closer. "I wouldn't have the slightest idea of what would become of _me_."

Slowly, Sari nodded. Now that Starscream was stuck in her head, would that mean his very essence would be obliterated if something happened to her? Were they really _that _closely linked?

Deciding to switch topics, she said, "How _do_ you find my memories anyway?" This was all her own mind, and yet she still couldn't see anything but darkness. And somehow her thoughts just found their own way to Starscream.

"Just reach out," replied the Harrier Jet. "Your thoughts present themselves most of the time, but if I want to find something specific, that's what I do. It always works for me. Try finding some of _my_ memories. It will most likely work the same way."

_Might as well try. _She closed her eyes in an attempt to concentrate. Expanding her range of thought, Sari sifted through Starscream's mind. Finally, she sensed something. Opening her eyes once again, what appeared to be miniature floating screens spiraled upward all around her. They each contained an image very much like the ones Starscream had previously shared with her.

_It… worked? _Sari was incredulous. This is what memories looked like? Tentatively, she held up one hand and plucked one screen from the assortment.

No sooner than when she held it to eye level did the memory give off a blindingly bright flash. It caught Sari off guard, and she nearly toppled over. When the light faded and her vision returned, she found herself aboard a ship about as large as the one the Elite Guard had taken to Earth. The only difference was that it was almost completely dark on this ship, illuminated only by the blinking lights and panels for the controls. Looking out, she was surprised to see the vessel flying directly in front of hers. Was that… Teletran-1?

That's when she heard Starscream's voice. Sari spun around to face the Decepticon in his Cybertronian humanoid mode. His arms were crossed over his chest as he spoke, staring out at the Autobot ship with unbelieving incompetence.

"…I seriously doubt we'll find this _AllSpark_ aboard such an _insignificant_ vessel," he was saying.

"_Traitor!" _bellowed another. Sari saw another robot, taller than Starscream and much larger in mass. His head and jaw were simple box-like shapes, and only a single red optic rested on his face. Sari had never seen this robot in person except for a few glances on the way to Cybertron, only that this was the one they called Lugnut.

"Megatron is wise!" continued Lugnut. "Megatron is bold! Megatron will return the Decepticons to Cybertron and-"

"And wipe our homeland clean of the stench of 'Autobot tyranny,' bladdy, blah, blah, blah." A female voice cut off Lugnut's deep one. Although Sari couldn't understand why, she was relieved by the familiar arachnid-like figure of Blackarachnia. "Did you memorize that speech, Lugnut? Or is it just hardwired into that thick skull of yours?"

A blast of ice to Blackarachnia's servo made everyone's head turn toward Blitzwing. In his calm face he walked in and joined in the discussion.

"As usual Blackarachnia," he began, "your demeanor iz as unpleasant as zhat accursed organic mold of yours." His accent was clearly audible in his words.

"Blow it out your actuator, three-face." The techno-organic transformer effortlessly shattered the ice with a flick of her wrist, freeing her arm.

Blitzwing's face switched from the blue, cold face to his hotheaded red one. It still puzzled Sari how the heck that giant chin could fit inside his helmet. "**Ze name iz Blitzwing insect- remember it! Because it iz ze last thing you are going to hear before I-**" his hothead personality was replaced by the bizarre random one. "-Express my feelings in song!" he concluded, his jack-o-lantern-like smile stretched wide. "Ze itsy bitsy spider climbed up ze water spout-"

Sari decided she had had enough of this. Holding out her palm, she discovered Starscream's other memories were compiled neatly in a small stack. She randomly shuffled through them until she found an interesting-looking one, and carefully removed it from the pile.

Once again it flashed and then faded. Sari was now in what looked like a medical bay of some sort, she couldn't really tell due to the shadows. Starscream was lying on one of the beds. Sari was confused at first, but then she remembered about that time in the lab, where she had had a short conversation with the Decepticon about past experiences.

And even if she hadn't, Sari still caught a glimpse of the holes on Starscream's neck where he had been pierced with venom.

Blitzwing stood over Starscream's bed, icy face shaking his head.

"Such a shame," the triple-changer said. "How do zhou feel _now_, Mr. I-Can-Get-A-Femme-Vhenever-I-Vant-To?"

Sari had to cover her mouth with both hands to keep from laughing. Despite the fact that this was only a memory, it felt a bit rude to do so.

Starscream only growled, red optics barely cracked open. "Can't you just leave me alone so I can heal in peace?" he hissed.

"Fine, I'll go. I just vanted to remind zhou zhat zhou owe me."

"Let's just see _you _do better."

To that Blitzwing swapped faces, his random one now cackling madly. Sari was a bit taken aback, and now Starscream had fully opened his optics into surprised, wide-eyed circles.

"You _have_ been doing better."

Blitzwing only laughed some more. "Vhat did you think I vas up to ze past 200 stellar cycles?"

Starscream attempted to sit up, but was apparently still weak. He flopped back onto the bed and stared the other Decepticon right in the eye, a shocked expression still firmly planted on the Seeker's face.

"Blitzwing, you nasty little son-of-a-glitch!"

The other Transformer just shrugged and continued to cackle. That was when Sari peered into the shadowy corner behind where Blitzwing now stood and saw the faint outline of a figure hanging upside-down from the ceiling, suspended by a threadlike object. Its optics were narrowed into slits of red. All four of them.

"To answer your question, _Blitz-brain_," the figure spat, "I thought you were off somewhere being a retard. I guess I was right."

Blitzwing froze. Ever so slowly, he switched back to his nonchalant blue face. Without bothering to turn around, he coolly replied, "Blackarachnia."

The femme dropped from the ceiling and faced Blitzwing, arms crossed in defiance. "Before you ask, I heard all of it," said Blackarachnia. "Unfortunately."

Blitzwing turned away from her intense glare. "…Right."

"As you can clearly see from your friend here," she gestured to Starscream, "You're not getting off the hook that easily, especially since you've got _200 stellar cycles _to pay for." Blackarachnia cracked her knuckles and advanced toward the face-swapping robot, fist raised. Blitzwing took a few steps back, now looking a bit nervous. And considering nothing fazed Blitzwing in this mode _at all_, Sari felt a bit uneasy about what the techno-organic's true strength was.

"Now I'm sure we can solve zis rationally…" Blitzwing began. His back was against the wall now; Blackarachnia had him cornered. Sari stole a glance over her shoulder to find Starscream snickering. What a surprise.

Blackarachnia's face was now only inches away from Blitzwing's. "I know even after all this time you still think of me as the new girl around here," she hissed, tension crackling in the air like static. "But I've still got rights around here, so _you_ still have to treat me with respect."

The corner of Blitzwing's mouth curled into a snarl. "Look, I don't know _vhere_ zhou came from before ve dragged zhou off zhat Primus-forsaken rock, but let me tell zhou one thing: Once zhou join ze Decepticons, zhey don't give respect to low-ranks. And neither do I."

Sari winced. She knew that Blackarachnia was originally Elita-1, a young student training at the Autobot academy. She was sure even as a Decepticon the spider-like robot would stick to a choice few of the noble Autobot virtues.

Blackarachnia only grinned. "You know another way I can see you're an idiot?" she asked him. "After all this time, you never even tried pulling out your ice cannons."

Realization struck Blitzwing the same way it struck Sari. _She's right. He had his firearms with him all this time._

Blitzwing looked down, evidently embarrassed. "Oh," he said after a pause. "Well… shit."

"Too late now." In a flash the stingers mounted on Blackarachnia's back shot out and stabbed him in the neck, the electric blue glow they emitted signaled that she was injecting the venom. Five seconds later Blitzwing was passed out on the floor.

Blackarachnia turned back to Starscream. "What're _you_ looking at, asshole?" she asked him.

"Nothing I _shouldn't_ be looking at, I can assure you." replied Starscream.

Sari decided to leave before she saw anything else. Pulling herself out of Starscream's mind, she felt an odd sensation. It felt as if she were being compressed into a two-dimensional object, squeezing through a tube far too small for her size. Once she was out her lungs expanded gratefully. Sari had a feeling she would need _lots_ of practice to get used to coming back out again.

The true Starscream was before her once again. His expression was quite neutral.

"So how was it?"

"Fine, I guess," replied Sari, who just for the heck of it added, "Mr. I-Can-Get-A-Femme-Whenever-I-Want-To."

Starscream stared at her with a look that clearly read, _Oh, you saw that one, didn't you?_

Sari nodded.

"We never speak of this again," said Starscream.

"Agreed."

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**Me: I had way too much fun making that last part. xD Well, that's the end of chapter 4. Hope it wasn't too short. Oh, and anybody who gets that reference from when Sari was exiting Starscream's mind, kudos to you!**


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